The National National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH), is recognised internationally for excellence in research, service and training to support occupational health services not only in South Africa but also in Southern Africa through its extensive outreach activities and collaborations.

The NIOH has made great strides in terms of its overall objectives, particularly around quality, and continues to provide training, service and research assistance to a wide range of local, provincial and central government stakeholders.

The NIOH provides cost effective occupational health services to national and provincial government departments as well as support for occupational health and safety inside the NHLS. This support work has included advice to regulatory authorities, employers, unions and individual employees.

The NIOH investigates occupational diseases and has laboratories for occupational environment analysis. The NIOH provides a range of services to support occupational health, including the statutory autopsy service, advisory services, information services, specialised laboratories and heath hazard evaluations.

Greetings from the UN General Assembly High Level Meeting to end TB – A letter to OHS colleagues from New York

Greetings from the UN General Assembly High Level Meeting to end TB – A letter to OHS colleagues from New York

September 28, 2018

AU NEPAD delegates networking at the meeting.

Dear Colleagues,

I wanted to share with you a few pictures to give you a sense of how amazing it is to sit in on this historic gathering. We have listened this morning to presidents from so many different countries. President Cyril Ramaphosa recalled how President Mandela also suffered from TB and how he urged the world to pay greater attention to TB. Also Minister Motsoaledi made an impassioned plea for universal access and greater dedication. The minister of Health from Namibia spoke of the importance of us working together in the southern and African region. I could not but we proud to be from Africa! The most dramatic input was from an MDR survivor from India.

Yesterday we had the AU NEPAD meeting which was really inspiring. The programme director was Ms Yvonne Chakachaka who provided a most beautiful rendition of one of her songs at the end of the meeting. Ms Chimwemwe Chamdimba from NEPAD was one of the main organisers of the Africa Unite event.

AU NEPAD delegates networking at the meeting.

AU NEPAD delegates networking at the meeting.

The UN Political Declaration to end TB was signed this morning so please have a look at it on the UN website. In there you will see reference to health workers and silica exposed workers. An entire group of international collaborators from many countries helped make that workplace inclusion possible. In some small but consistent manner the NIOH contributed to that inclusion through the ICOH position papers and other collaborative avenues.

Young South African Health Workers and TB survivors at the UN.

This is the first ever UN General Assembly to address TB. Truly historic and I wanted to share the spirit of it all with you. We will try our best to focus on primary prevention through workplaces to really stand on the threshold of the dream of an Africa free from TB.